Ximenes Competition No. 279  Ximenes Slip  |  ◀  277  |  281  ▶  |  Other competitions
No.DateClue wordClue typeClues
279 Apr 1954CRYPTOGRAM normal17

 

AwardClue writerClueExplanation
FirstH. G. TattersallA cell first; then go up before the beak for a sentence involving hard labourcrypt + go (rev.) + ram
SecondW. T. Meade-KingSay “Ah,” turn over, now your pulse. Very hard to diagnosecry PTO gram2
ThirdJ. A. FinckenIf you don’t read right into it, it won’t mean a blooming thing!i.e. c. less r = cryptogam (flowerless plant), & lit.
HCE. S. AinleyDark affair that you need a key to: proceed the wrong way and—mess-upcrypt + go mar (each rev.), & lit.
HCC. Allen BakerLetters for the Postmaster-General to carry may be sometimes almost indecipherableanag. incl. PMG
HCJ. W. BatesIn which a cipher prevents the underground from coming to grief0 in crypt + gram3 & lit.
HCT. E. BellOratory ought commonly to pulse with a profound messagecrypt + O (ought2) + gram2; oratory = place for prayer
HCMrs N. FisherThere’s a clamour for a post mortem about some peculiar words arising in this puzzlecry + argot (rev.) in pm
HCE. G. IllingworthMessage concealed report quietly obtained about a type of jetcry + p + got (rev.) + ram (see ramjet)
HCW. K. M. SlimmingsThere’s a rumour—keep it quiet!—Fonteyn’s to appear in Worm’s Eye View. Bentley might tell what’s behind itcry + p + Margot (rev.); R.A.F. Bentley’s codes; ref. film & play “W. E. V.” and Muriel Bentley, U.S. ballet dancer
HCJ. C. W. SpringbettA feature of the Personal Column, “Meeting place below church love returned Marg”crypt O + Marg (rev.)
HCJ. B. SykesOrdering P.M.G. to carry this kind of message isn’t always possible—or is it?anag.
HCJ. ThompsonThere’s obscure writing, rumour and talk of a doubtful nature about Churchill going roundcry + argot (rev.) in PM; ref. rumours following C.’s stroke in 1953
HCMiss D. M. ThorneThe wail of a baby having got upside down in its carriage is unintelligible (except to its parent?).cry + got (rev.) in pram
HCH. S. TribeWeep, turn over a new leaf, and end trouble—that’s the message of a good hidingcry PTO gram3
HCF. L. UsherThere’s some hidden meaning in this stuff about Egypt being short of capital and/or cracking upanag. of (E)gypt or in cram; ref. E.’s post-war economic instability
HCC. P. WrothIt’s hard to understand the child’s yell before it had got upside down in the carriagecry + got (rev.) in pram
 

Runners-Up in competition 279:

Dr S. H. AtkinsMrs D. M. D’EathD. P. M. MichaelE. B. Stevens
Rev H.D. Owen BrownC. E. GatesP. H. MorganMiss D. W. Taylor
B. BurtonS. GoldieC. J. MorseD. H. Tompsett
R. A. ChalmersE. GomersallF. E. NewloveJ. F. N. Wedge
H. G. CooperC. R. HaighE. G. PhillipsR. Wells
V. F. DixonMrs L. JarmanR. PostillCdr D. P. Willan
W. J. DuffinP. J. JutsumCapt W. H. W. RidleyM. Winterbottom
Brig W. E. DuncanC. KoopO. Carlton Smith